Legendary UFC star Conor McGregor wants to be back in the octagon by August, but first must recover from a brutal broken toe.
The Irishman was due to face Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 303 next weekend in his first fight in almost three years. But after suffering a gruesome injury during training, he made the tough choice to pull out of the bout; a first in his UFC career.
McGregor has since revealed the severity of his injury, after it was believed that he would keep it secret so as not to give Chandler a new target area in their rearranged fight. And he expects to be back as soon as possible, despite still suffering through the pain.
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Conor McGregor claims he ‘can’t get into a shoe’ after cancelling UFC 303 main event
After cornering Sinead Kavanagh at Bellator Dublin last night, Conor McGregor gave his first exclusive injury since suffering the injury to Andy Stevenson from SevereMMA. In the chat, he explained that he was forced out of first a Dublin press conference before the fight itself was pulled.
And despite walking around at the event and meeting with fans, he was notably wearing loose-fitting slippers, telling Stevenson that he still can’t fit into a shoe. He even claimed that he was in more pain currently than when he suffered a clean broken leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021.
“The injury is a nuisance and I’m not going to lie, it’s very, very painful,” he said. “Probably even more painful than the leg and that’s the truth. I’ll tell you why; because the leg at least was wrapped up, I couldn’t access it.
“The foot is just there, still. It’s like it’s exposed still, so it’s a bit painful but it comes with the f***ing territory. I need to just dial it in, get my training camps correct. I’m not trying to hurt people in the gym and I’m not trying to be hurt in the gym.
“I’m trying to get to these fights 100 per cent and that’s what every fighter should be looking for and every training partner should be looking for with the fighters they are helping. That’s the goal, and when you do that you win and I’m very close to getting there.
“I had a little lapse in concentration, a wake up call from myself, for my coaches and my training partners. I’m going to recalibrate, readjust and recuperate and return.”
Asked for an ideal date, McGregor said that he was hoping for ideally as soon as August or September. “I’m in recovery mode, it’s three weeks to the day, it happened three weeks ago today,” he explained. “I’m still here rocking around in the slippers.
“They’re not bad slippers now, thankfully, and they’re cosy enough. But I can’t get into a shoe yet. I’ve done everything they asked.”
Conor McGregor defends cancelling UFC 303 press conference after pulling out of fight
The first sign of trouble in the Irishman’s camp came when he was forced to pull out of a Dublin launch event for the UFC 303 event. Over 10,000 fans were expected at the 3Arena, but just hours before doors, the event was postponed.
Speaking about the press conference issue, McGregor asked: “What was I going to do? Walk out in my f***ing bare feet? I couldn’t put my foot into a shoe, so I knew I was like ‘I can’t’ and the UFC have been stellar for me.
“They’ve really gone above and beyond for me and I’m really grateful for that. I was in a dark place but I’m coming along now, I’m alright I’m getting there again. I’m ready to go again so soon enough. I’m very appreciative of them assisting me.
“I’m sad for the fans that wanted the entertainment for the press conference and the pay-per-view and the card and all. But look, it’s just one of those things, how could I justify making that walk again and then being stationary and flat on the feet?
“Then what would I say to my fans afterwards? ‘Oh no, this happened but I made the walk for you guys’? The fans have seen this, I can’t do it again, they need to see the best of me if they’re paying that much and all.
“So that’s what they’re going to see. It’s on me now and my team of coaches and my team of training partners to really dial it in and make sure that happens and I’m confident that I do.”